Price-marker and lid-holder for cigar-boxes.



No. 886,692. PATENT-ED MAY 5, 1908.

I W. I. GALE & P. DAVIS. PRICE MARKER AND LID HOLDER FOR CIGAR BOXES.

APPLICATION IILED DEC. 7. 1906.-

A TTORNE VS fiwmizflms Q NTW WINFRED I. GALE AND FREEMAN DAVIS, OF MOULTON, IOWA.

PRICE-MARKER AND LID-HOLDER FOR CIGAR-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed December 7, 1906. Serial No. 346,793.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WINFRED I. GALE and FREEMAN DAVIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Moulton, in the county of Appanoose and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Price-Marker and Lid- Holder for Cigar-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for holding open the lids of boxes or receptacles containing articles displayed for sale, such, for instance, as cigars, and for indicating the prices thereof.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a device of this character which is of comparatively simple, inexpensive and durable construction, which is adapted to be easily and firmly secured to a box to hold the lid thereof in open position.

A further object of the invention is to construct a lid holder and price marker from a single piece of sheet metal having its parts so arranged that it can be securely locked to the body of the box so that it cannot be accidentally displaced or the lid moved.

With these objects in view, and others, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box containing cigars showing the lid holder and price marker in position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion of the box showing the holder and marker in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the holder and marker.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the body of the box and B the lid thereof to which the holder and marker C is applied. The holder and marker comprises a clamp portion 1 and a price containing portion 2 united by the neck or portion 3. The clamp portion 1 is composed of the connected parallel glates 4 which form an inverted U and are at apted to embrace the end 5 of the box body A at the top edge of the said side and near the corner adjacent the hinge between the cover or lid D and rear 6 of the box. The

plate 4 on the outside of the box extends to the rear, whereas the plate 4 on the inside is of less width so as to accommodate the rear wall 6, as best shown in Fig. 2. The outer plate 4 is provided with a laterally extending flange 7 which is spaced apart from the adj acent vertical edge 8 of the inner plate 4 so as to form with the said edge a vertical slot for receiving the rear wall 6 of the box, the said flange engaging behind the rear wall, as shown in Fig. 2. By means of the inner plate 4 and flange 7, the holder and marker is prevented from moving lengthwise on the side 5 of the box, and the two plates 4 prevent lateral movement of the holder. The portion 2 comprises a fiat plate dis osed preferably at a slight incline to the fl ange 7, as shown in Fig. 2, and on the front face of this plate is stamped, or otherwise suitably marked, the matter indicative of the price of the cigars or contents of the box, such, for instance, as the designation 10 straight. From the vertical edges or the plate portion 2 extends a lug 9 which is bent rearwardly and then laterally to form an L-shaped hook disposed horizontally, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The plate portion 2 bears on the front or inner surface of the lid B while the hook-shaped lug 9 extends around one end edge and behind the back or top surface of the lid. By this means, the lid is held at a slight inclination to the vertical and is posi tively prevented from moving farther open or closing.

In assembling the holder and marker on a box, the lid is first opened and then the plate portion 2 hooked over the left hand end edge of the lid at or approximately the middle.

The holder and marker is then moved downwardly along the edge of the lid, so that the end 5 of the box A will pass into the clamp portion 1 and the back wall 6 move into the slot formed between the flange 7 and adjacent vertical edge 8 of the inner plate 4 of the clamp portion. This downward movement of the holder and marker is continued until the top of the clamp portion rests on the top edge of the side 5. The lid will thus be held open and the holder will be securely clamped in place. To remove the holder and marker when the box is empty, the same is first moved upwardly to a suitable distance to clear the lower ends of the inner plate 4 from the top edge of the side 5, and then by a lateral movement the plate 2 is unhooked. It will thus be seen that no fastening devices,

' such as tacks or spurs struck out from the metal, are required to hold the combined marker and holder in proper position.

What is claimed is A box lid holder and price marker comprising a clamp made by folding one portion of a previously cut blank upon itself to form parallel spaced gripping plates for attachment to one end of a boX, the straight rear edge of the inner plate being in contact with the inner face of the back of the box, and the outer plate extending beyond the inner plate and turned inwardly at a right angle to form a flange to lie closely against the outer face of said back of the boX at such a distance from the rear edge of the inner plate as to prevent said clamp from sliding on said boX end or tilting thereon, a rearwardly inclined marker plate forming an upward continuation of said rear flange, and a linger on said marker plate extending behind the same to clasp between them the open lid of a boX and prevent it from further opening or closing until removed.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WINFRED I. GALE. FREEMAN DAVIS. Witnesses:

HELEN B. LARSON, L. L. MOORE. 

